James starts to behave very out of character whilst examining Tricki and his health takes a turn for the worst. Helen rushes him to bed, leaving Jimmy with Mrs Pumphrey and an already overburdened Mrs Hall, who is making strawberry jam for the WI. Meanwhile, Siegfried, needing an extra hand in Carmody's absence, recruits a reluctant Tristan to help.

When Siegfried and Tristan treat a Scuffling horse for a simple rash, something rather unexpected happens. Things go from bad to worse when their car breaks down. Tristan and Siegfried start to walk home, swigging from homemade wine gifted to them by Dobson. Old tensions between them simmer as they try to figure out the best course home.

Meanwhile, back at Skeldale, James drifts in and out of reality, hallucinating. Believing that he's back at RAF Abingdon, James's sadness surfaces and expresses his guilt that his comrades suffered and he survived. Helen is worried for James but, as he opens up to her more, she reaches a new understanding of what he's experienced.

Mrs Pumphrey finds herself fulfilling something of a new role and Mrs Hall holds everything together.

Now giddy from the homemade wine, Siegfried reveals how things went south with Miss Grantley and is secretly pleased when Tristan insists she'd be lucky to have him. Siegfried and Tristan come to a new understanding about their wartime experiences and, arriving in Darrowby, find some fun together too. James apologises profusely to Mrs Pumphrey, who catches Siegfried in a compromising position.